Steel barge.



No. 820,974. PATENTEDMAY 221906.

M. G. HILPERT.

STEEL BARGB..

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1905. I

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PATBNTED MAY 22, 1900.

M. G. HILPERT.

STEEL BARGE.

kAPPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1905.

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PATENTED MAY 22, 1 906.

M. G. HILPERT.

STEEL BARGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 190s.

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PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

M. G. HILPBRT.

STEEL BARGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6,. 1905.

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WITNESS-ES,

No. 820,974. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. M. G. HILPBRT.

STEEL BARGE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1905.

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MFM.; d m /flfz www@ @www PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

M. G. HILPERT.

STEEL BARGE.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. s,

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. UNTED STATES PATENT oFFIoF.

No. 320,974a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application tiled January 6, 1905. Serial'No. 289,885.

To all whom t Tim/U concern:

Be it known that I, MEIER G. HILPERT, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and'useful Improvement in Steel Barges and I do hereby declare'thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to boats or barges, and more especially to bargesfor transporting coal, coke, sand, grain, or other commodities which'are usually handled in bulk.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction'oi` barge orboat by means of which the coal or other material may be iioated,loadedrapidly, and by apparatus of least cost, by means of which thecoal or other material may be unloaded by dumping, so as to dispensewith the elaborate unloading appliances at present required and enablingthe barges to be unloaded at very much less cost and in less time thanwith existing barges; which adapts itself to a cheap steel or othermetal construction; which adapts itself to transportation by land aswell as by Water,- which is so constructed that the empty barge may becollapsed, thus occupying only a fractional part of its original cubicalcontents and greatly facilitating and cheapening the return of the emptybarge either by land or water; which adapts itself to a perfectinterchangeability of parts, and hence makes it possible to utilize alluseful parts; Which in the case of wrecks makes it possible to salvage amuch greater portion of the cargo than is possible with present bargeconstructions and practically all of the barge itself, and by which incase of total or partial destruction the scrap value of the barge willbe large.

The transportation of coal and similar material bywater, and especiallyon rivers and lakes, is at present done by means of large open barges inwhich the coal is loaded and transported to the point of destination.These barges until recentlyhave been built of wood but by reason of theincreasing scarcity of lumber the cost of such barges has become verygreat, and as a consequence many are of a very light and liimsyconstruction, so that they are not Worth returning tothe point ofloading. ylhe increasing cost of lumber has led in recent years to theconstruction of steel barges; but the latter have in allcases been builtas close as possible on the lines of the old wooden barge, being of verylarge dimensions both as to breadth and length and in all essentialsbeing like their Wooden predecessors.

The present type of barge possesses many disadvantages, among which arethe slowness and cost of unloading the same, it requiring either`special unloading-cranes With dredging-buckets or other appliances orelse slow and eXpensivehand-unloading. Also the return of these emptybargesto the -point of loading is slow and expensive, due to the factthat the cubical contents and wetted surface of the barge is practicallythe same When empty as when loaded, also to the great loss both of cargoand barge itself in case of total or partial wrecks, it being possibleto salvage only a small percentage of the cargo andlgenerally no portionof the barge itself, this being due to the fact that such barges, andespecially the Wooden ones, break apart and spill the cargo into the mudat the bottom of the river, thus making it impossible to recover a largeportion of the cargo, vand the very large size of the barges themselves.allows the current to easily erode the cargo and makes it practicallyimpossible to raise the barges even though they are not broken apart.

-The object of my invention is to provide a barge construction in whichall of the foregoing difficulties are avoided and the several advantagesheretofore pointed out are secured. v

To this end the invention consists, generally stated, in constructingthe barge of a number of separate sections or compartments,

.each of which preferably is a self-contained unit both as to stabilityand flotation, and which sections are constructed to be attached one toanother, so as to build up thecomplete barge `or fleet, which areconstructed of sizes so that When empty a plurality thereof can benested together, thus reducing the cubical contents and wetted surfaceand both expediting and rendering more cheap the return of the emptybarges, which are of such a size that they can be lifted by suitablehoisting apparatus and unloaded by merely dumping the same, thus greatlyexpediting and cheapening the unloading thereof, which are of sucha,size that they can be transported by land as Well as by Water eitheron ordinary flat-cars, by telpherage system, or as desired, and 'whichpossess many other special features of construction and advantages, aswill be hereinafter described and claimed.

in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bargeembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the same in acollapsed condition. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the collapsed sections,showing Ithe adaptability thereof for transportation by land. Fig. 4illustrates three different methods of lifting thc barge-sections. Fig.5 is a longitudinal vertical section of a bargesection, showing thedetails of construction. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectionthereof. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7, Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a planview illustrating one means for connecting the sections to each other attheir tops. Fig. 9 is a side view of the same. Fig. 10 is across-section thereof. Figs. 11, 12, and 13 are views showing anotherform of connecting means at the tops of the sections. Fig. 14 is aperspective view illustrating another manner of lifting the sections andalso the connecting means at the bottom of the sections. Fig. 15 is aperspective view of one corner of a section, showing the bottomconnecting means. Fig. 16 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 17 is aperspective sectional detail illustratin connecting means for thesections interme iate their tops and bottoms.

Fig. 18 is an elevation of aportion of a section,

showing connecting means on the sides of the sections. Fig. 19 is asimilar view of the cooperating connecting means. Fig. 2() is ahorizontal sectional view illustrating this connecting means. Fig. 21and 22 are perspective views illustrating the manner of attaching thesplash-boards. Fig. 23 is a perspective view showing one of the cavels.Figs. 24 and 25 are perspective views of the checkposts, and Figs 26 and27 are perspective views illustrating the application of a roof orcovering to the barge.

The essential feature of my invention consists in building up the bargeof a number of separate sections 1, each of which is, or is not, asdesired, a unit both as to stability and .flotation either when loadedor unloaded.

These sections are, in effect, bins or compartments and comprise thesides 2, ends 3, and lbottom 4, together with suitableiconneeting means.Preferably they will be open at the top. I prefer to make these sectionsrectangular in plan, as thereby they can be more compactly assembled,but wish it understood that the invention is not limited to this shape,as they may be of any desired shape. These sections will preferably beof a depth less than their dimension in either length or width, so thatthey will be perfectly stable either' when loaded or unloaded. The sizepreferably will be such as to adapt them most conveniently for land aswell as for Water transportation, and preferably so that they can beloaded on ordinary flat-cars, as shown in Fig. 3, or be conveyed by atelpheragel system, or other adaptable method. These several sectionswill be constructed preferably in groups, the individuals of which willbe of different sizes. The number of individuals in each group may vary,being either two or more. In the drawings I have illustrated anarrangement wherein there are three individuals in each group, theseindividuals being marked a, I), and c, respectively. These sections willpreferably all be of the same depth; but in length and width the sectiona will be vthe largest, the section c the smallest, and the section bintermediate the two, so that the several sections ,when empty can benested' or placed one within the other,

as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to expedite and chea en the return ofthe barge. Obviously t e group may consist of only two sections 0. and bor of any number of sections within reasonable limits greater thanthree.

Preferably the sections which are to form the ends of the bar e, bothfront and rear, will be provided wit a rake, as indicated at 7, Figs. 1and 2. This rake may be of any preferred form, either beveled or curvedfrom the bottom entirely to the top or only partially to the top, asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. These several sections will preferably beconstructed of suflicient strength to withstand the lifting or handlingthereof when loaded. When they ioat in the water the pressure ofthe'material inside is largely counterbalanced by the pressure of thewater on the outside, and hence for mere otation a very simple and lightconstruction might be used. When, however, they are adapted for landtransportation and for lifting out of the water in order to dump thecontents the construction must be considerably stronger, so as towithstand the stresses of the load contained therein. The details ofconstruction for this purpose may vary within wide limits. In Figs. 5',6, and 7 l have illustrated the details of one form of construction, butwish it understood that this is largely illustrative and not to beexhaustive of the different manners in which the sections may be builtup. y

As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, each section is provided at its upper edgeswith a suitable iianged rail or gunwale 10, which preferably is a Z-bar,as shown, although it may be of any other shape, whether standard orspecial, and either rolled, cast, or pressed. l prefer, however, tobuild up the sections of standard commercial shapes, as these can beeasily and cheaply obtained on the market. 'lhese top rails,in ell'ect,form the gunwales of the section and give strength where the stressesare probably the greatest. AA Z-bar is especially adapted for thispurpose, as it will effectively resist horizontal as well as verticalstresses. 'lhe side and bottom plates are connected by angulo-sectionsl1, the end and bottom plates by similar angle sections 12, and the sideandv end plates by the cornerconnecting angles 13. Riveted to cach ofthe side plates are a pair of diagonal mem- IOC ITO

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crane-hooks or other device engaging either to the side plates centrallythereof are the erably run from the ends of the cross-beam bers,preferably angles 14, which extend I either from the lower cornersthereof up to the middle, from the upper corners thereof down to themiddle, depending upon whether the section is to be lifted at itsmiddle, as shown, or at the corners, or other good and economical girderconstruction. Also riveted vertical lianged members 15, preferably Z-bars, running from the top to the bottom and connected at their lowerends to the cross-beam 16, which preferably will be an I-beam, as shown.The end plates 3 are stiffened by a number of diagonal braces 17, to beeconomically arranged, and the iioor is strengthened 'by longitudinalsupports 18, which may be either angles, but preferably channels, andwhich extend from the ends to the cross-girder 16. The diagonal braces14 on the side plates and the bottom-connecting angle 11 and verticalZ-bar 15 form, in edect, a truss, and this is strengthened or stiifenedby the side plates 2, which are riveted thereto. So, too, the end plates3, with their stiffening members 17 are, ineffect, plate-girders. As aconsequence the load on the bottonL is transferred, by means of thefloor-supports 18, out to the plate-girder ends, and as the latter atthe corners are connected to the trussedsides all stresses are welltaken care of. These sections may be lifted in any suitable way. Fig. 4illustrates three different methods of lifting same. At A the section islifted by ears 20 on-the top edges of the sides between their ends.rihese ears are directly above the cross-beam 16, and consequently theload will be transferred directly to these ears from said cross-beam andalso from other portions of the iioor through the plategirder ends andtrussed sides. At B and C, I have illustrated the lifting vof thesesections at their corners. When this occurs, the stiffeninO-angles 14 onthe side plates will pref- 1 upwardly to the upper corners of thesection. The lifting may be done by having at the corners or with earsat the middle and connected directly to the lifting-chain 22, as shownat B. Preferably, however, these hooks will be connected to abalance-beam 23, as at A, which in turn is connected to thelifting-chain or will be attached to the corners of a spreading frame24, as shown at C, so that the lifting stresses on the section will bevertical instead of converging inwardly, as at B, the latter having atendency to collapse the section.

In Fig. 14 is illustrated another method of lifting the sections, thisshowing a balancebeam 23', provided With-arms 25, having.inwardly-projecting trunnions 25a for engaging suitable sockets 26,ears, or the like secured to the ends or sides of the sections. Thisarrangement has an advantage in dumping the contents of the section, asit is practically trunnioned at approximately its center of gravity. Thesockets 26 may be formed in any suitable wa either by riveting pieces tothe outside o the section, but preferably by perforating-` the sideplates and securing to the inner faces thereof castings or other members26", having openings for receiving the ends'of the trunnions 25a. Thesesockets may be placed either at the ends or sides of the sections, asdesired. Preferably, also,

the sections will be provided with some means ,whereby they can beengaged by a rod or hook so as to tip the same in dumping. In thedrawings I have shown for this purpose ears 26, riveted to the bottomsof the sections. Obviously this detail may be varied within wide limits.If desired, a socket somewhat as shown at 26 may be employed for thispurpose, said socket, as well as the ears illustrated, serving as ameans for catching the end of a hook or the like, whereby the sectioncan be tipped in order to dump the contents. The several sectionscomprising the barge will be connected to one another by any suitablemeans. In the drawings I have shown several forms of means forconnecting the same but obviously this is a detail which can be modiliedwithin very wide limits. The means shown are intended merely asillustrative and not to indicate all practical means for accomplishingthis result. The connecting means shown in the drawings at the tops ofthe sections comprise the formation of slots 27 in the gunw'ales of thesections. These slots will be laid out on the principle of a Vernier, sothat sections of different sizes may be readily connected one toanother. Passing through these slots will be suitable connecting boltsor keys which will receive shear and tension, but only slight bendingstrains, and which not only connect the sections at their tops, but alsoprevent individual vertical movement of the sections. v

Figs. 8 to 10 show as a connecting means a bolt 29, haviner a nut 30 andbeing provided at one end witli a long head or extension 31. This is forthe purpose of permitting the quick removal of said coupling memberwhenever necessary, as in case of emergency. When one or more of thesections meet with an accident and begin to sink, they should be quicklydetached from the remainder of the barge, so as to prevent drawing othersections down with them. The projecting head 31 of the bolt offers ameans for quick disconnection, it merely being necessary to take aSledge, and by a sharp blow on said head the bolt can be broken, thuseffecting the disconnection of said sections.

Figs. 11, 12, and 13 show a modification in which the coupling member 32is provided on one end with a large head 33 and on the opposite end witha head 34, which is sufli- IOO IOS

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ciently small to readily pass through the slots 27 in the gunwales. Atapering forked key or wedge 35 is driven between the gunwale and thehead 34, thus serving as the locking means. To prevent accidentaldisplacement of this key, a light cotter-pin or locking-key 36 is passedthrough openings in the legs of the forked key. This key is providedwith a toe or extension 37, so that a sharp blow with a hammer or Sledgewill drive said key out of place and permit the disconnection of thebarge-sections. While connecting means at the top alone will besufficient in many cases, it is desirable to also connect the sectionsat their bottoms. This may also be accomplished in various ways. In thedrawings only one has been illustrated, this being shown in Figs. 14,15, and 16. Each section is provided at or near its bottom with asuitable stop, socket, ear, or the like 60, which is adapted to beengaged by a hook 61 or the like, pivoted on the adjacent section. Thishook can be operated in any suitable waysuch, for instance, asconnecting the same to the lower endof the shaft 62, rotatably mountedin the barge-section and extending up through the gunwale, where it isprovided with a handle 63 or other operating means. The operating-shaft62 will preferably be inclosed in a well, so as to prevent the waterwhich will leak in around the lower end of said shaft from entering thebarge. This well may be either a simple tube, such as shown at 64,having water-tight connection at the bottom of the barge and extendingup to the gunwale, as by screwing the same into the bottom plates andgunwale, or may be a pressed plate U-shaped or otherwisein crosssectionand riveted to the side plates of the barge.

Fig. 17 shows an arrangement whereby connecting means similar to thatshown in Figs. 8 to 13 is located intermediate the bottom and top ed esof the sections, so that in practice it will e below the water-line andnearer the center of gravity of the sections. With this arrangement thesections need not be connected at their bottoms. In this case thegunwales proper, 10, are located at the point of connecting thesections, while the extension sides 65 are, in effect, splash-boards;but they are formed of metal and riveted water-tight to the gunwales andto each other at the corners so as to make a water-tight connection andpermit the submersion of the sections below the gunwales.

In Figs. 18, 19, and 20 is illustrated means suitable for connecting thesections along their sides. This consists in providing one of thesections with a Well 66, formed in any suitable way and having rotatablymounted therein` a shaft 67, provided at its upper end with a handle 68or other suitable operating means and carrying one or more couplinmembers or hooks 69, which is or are adapte to project out throughopenings 70, formed in the end or side plates. In order to stiffen theshaft 67, it is passed through openings in one or more diaphragme 71,extending across the well. The adjacent sectionis provided with suitablecouplin means for cooperating with the hooks 67 t 's being shown as theprojecting edge 73 at the side of ripenings cut in the end or sideplates of said sction. well-casing 75 is provided to preveit theentrance of water into the body of t 1e barge. In this well is rotatablymounted a shaft 76, having one or more lockin -dogs 77 adapted to beswung behind the hoo or hooks 67 and hold the same in locked position,as shown in Fig. 20. The shaft 76 is provided at its upper end with ahandle 78 or other suitable operating means.

Obviously many other forms of connecting means for the sections willsuggest themselves to those engaged in their manufacture and use.Preferably the connecting means should be such as to prevent independentvertical movements in the sections, take the tension as necessary andallow of rapid disconnecting, and also should not project inside of theseveral sections beyond the gunwales, so as' not to interfere with thenesting of the several sections. It will b,e observed that the gunwales,braces, and ether strengthening members for the side, end, and bottomplates are all located inside of the sections, thus leaving the outsidethereof perfectly smooth, so as to offer the least resistance orfriction in the water. y

The outer sections making up the barge or fleet will be provided withsuitable means for attaching snubbing ropes or lines for the purpose oftying the barges one to another or to a dock or other places. Theseattaching means may be of any suitable construction either in the formof a kevel or cleat, as shown at 40, Fig. 23, or a check-post, such asshown at 41, Fig. 24. The kevels or check-'posts will be attached to thegunwales by means of bolts passing through suitable holes or openings 42in the gunwale and similar openings in the kevel or check-post. Thegunwales of all sections will be provided with holes 42 at intervals,and each fleet or tow boat will carry with it a number of check-posts orkevels, which can be attached by means of bolts to the gunwales on theouter edges of the fleet or barges, as required. When these check-postsor kevels are placed at the corners of the barge, .they will be formedas shown at 43, Fig. 25, havin attaching bases or feet 44 at an angle toeac other and pref-l erably being provided with an angular opening ,45for receiving an upwardly-extending portion 46 of the corner-connectingangle 13. These corner-connecting an les 13 will preferably be allowedto exten above the gunwales in all cases, as they ma serve not only forattachment of the chec -posts 43, but

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also as a convenient means for attaching splash-boards 48, as shown inFig. 22. These splash-boards may, however, be attached by otherconvenientdetachable means, such as the straps 49, en aging loops 5() onthe side or end plates, as indicated in F ig. 2l.

The sections comprising the barge will be made water-tight, thus notonly increasing the buoyancy thereof, but also enabling thetransportation of materials which must be lrept dry. ln such casesprovision will also be made for covering the barges. This covering maybe provided in a great variety of ways either by the use of canvas,wood, or metal coverings. In F i s. 26 and 27 l have illustrated twomethods of covering the barges. ln F ig. 26 the barge-sections areprovided with standards 53, having connected thereto a ridge-pole 54.The rooiing 55 may be either wood, metal, or canvas and will extend fromthe ridge-pole down to the gunwales. ln Fig. 2O simple sloped roofs 56are shown, these being shown as of corrugated metal; but obviously theymay be of other -material lhen roofs are applied, the sections composingthe barge may be slightly spaced apart at the points where theroei-eaves meet the gunwales, so as to permitl the drippings .to passdown between the sections and not into the saine, or the drippings maybe taken care oi by other desirable means. This spacing apart of thesections may be conveniently accomplished by placing spacing-blocksbetween the several sections.

ln order to prevent the material transported from lodging in the spacebetween the side plates and the depending llanges ci the Z- sha-pedgunwal-es when dumping the load, said gunwales will be closed on theirlower sides by means oi a suitable strip 57, of wood or other material,secured in place by bolts 58 or other suitable fastening means.

Many modiilcations in details of construc-y tion may be made in thebarge shown and der scribed. The essential feature of the invention is abarge construction composed of a plurality ci sections preferablyarranged in groups, the individuals oi which are of dilei1- ent sizes,so as to permit the nesting ci the same when emptied. Preferably thesesections are each a complete unit as to flotation and stability. Thissectional construction .adapts itself to very cheap and quick unloadingthereof, it merely being necessary to lift the same. by means oi asuitable crane or other hoisting device and dump the same. Furthermore,it adapts the barge to land transportation either by hat cars, bytelpherage, or other means. As a consequence the several sections may belled at the mines,

thus doing away with the tipples, and being weighed there can betransported either by llat cars tel pherage, or other means to the waterand deposited therein. They will then be l connected together and talrento the point oi destination. Here they canv be unloaded by merelylifting and dumping the same, orii the coal is to o inland the sectionscan be detached anni transported to the several destinations by rail.The-empty sect-ions can be nested one within the other and returned whentime is an essential by rail by merely loading on ilat cars. Even whenreturned by water the nested sections occupy 'so much less wettedsurface that they can be returned with less power and at a greater speedthan with non-collapsible barges.

While in Fig. l l have shown the barge made up of three di'lierent sizesoi sections arranged uniformly, so as to give straight side and endedges to the barge, it will be understood that this is not absolutelynecessary, as it may frequently hap en that there will not be equalnumbers of all the different sizes of sections. 'lhey may, nevertheless,be readily connected together by means of the vernier connectiondescribed and may be readily transported, even though the side and frontand rear edges should not be straight lines. lt will also be understood.that the size of the barge may be varied within wide limits, asobviously any number oi such sections niay be connected. rlhe lleet canbe made up by connectingtogether the requisite number of sections.

What l claim isl. A barge or boat comprising a series oi' sections openat the top and of several difierent sizes whereby they may be nested ingroups, and means for connecting said sections together.

2. A barge or boat comprising a series oi sections open at the top andof several di'lerent sizes whereby they may be nested in groups, eachsection being a unit as to staility and flotation, and means forconnecting said sections together.

3. barge or boat comprising a series of sections eachghaving sides, endsand bottom, and being of several dilierent sizes whereby they may benested in groups, and means for connecting said sections together.

4. A barge or boat comprising a series of sections open at the top andbeing of the same shape butof several different sizes, whereby they maybe nested in groups, and means for connecting said sections together.

5. A barge or boat comprisin a series oi sections having sides, ends andottom and being oi the same shape but of several difterent sizes wherebythey may be nested in groups, and means for connecting said sectionstogether. 1

6. A barge or boat comprising a series ot rectangular sections open atthe top and of several diiierent sizes, whereby they may be nested ingroups, and means for connecting said sections together.

7. A barge or boat comprising a series of rco ige

may be nested in groups, and means for conrectangular sections havingmetallic sides, ends and bottom, and being open at the top and ofseveral different sizesv whereby they necting said sections together.

8. A barge or boat comprising a series of sections having metallicsides', ends and bottom and being open at the top and of severaldifferent sizes whereby they may be nested in roups, each section beinga unit as to stability and flotation, and means for connecting saidsections together.

9. A barge or boat comprising a' series of sections o en at the top andof different sizes whereby tlhey may be nested in interchangeablegroups, and means for connecting said sections together.

10. A barge or boat com rising a 'series of sections open at the top anof several different sizes whereby theymay be nested in interchangeablegroups, each section being a unit as to stability and flotation, andmeans for connecting said sections together.

11. A barge, boat ory body of floating compartments comprisingv avlurality of interchangeable sections roviv ed with means for theattachment of ifting mechanism, and means for connecting said sectionstogether.

12. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of interchangeable metallicsections each being a unit as to stability and flotation and eachprovided with means'fi the attachment of lifting mechanism, and meansfor connecting said sections together.

18. A barge or boat comprising a lurality of rectangular sectionshavingmetal ic sides, ends and bottoms, and each being provided with means forthe attachment of' lifting mechanism, and means for connecting saidsections together.

14. Abarge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each rovided withmeans for the attachment of li 'ting mechanism, and means for connectingsaid sections together.

15. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each being a unitas to stability and flotation, said sections being arranged for theattachment of lifting means, and means for connecting said sections to.each other.

16. A barge or boat comprising a lurality of sectionseach of which isprovi( ed with sockets for the attachment of lifting means, and meansfor connecting said sections together.

17. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each of which isa unit as to stability and flotation, ears on each of said sectionsfor.. the attachment of lifting means, and

suitable means for connecting said sections to each other.

18. A barge-section comprising metallic side, end and bottom plates, alifting attach- 19. A barge-section comprising metallic;

side, end and bottom plates, lifting attach- .ments on the upper edgesof said section,

trusses for 'strengthening the side' and end plates, and a bottomsupported from said trusses. t

20. A barge-section comprising metallic side, bottom and end plates,trusses for strengthening the side plates and end plates, floor-supportsconnected-to the side and end plates, and lifting means at the upperedges of said section.

21. A barge-section comprising side, end v and bottom plates, trussesfor strengthening the side plates and end plates, lifting attachments onthe side plates intermediate their ends, a cross beam or beams attachedto the floor and in line with said lifting means, and floor-supportsextending from said cross beam or beams to the end plates.

22. A boat or barge comprising a plurality of'sections, means on saidsections for attaching lifting mechanism and swiveling the same thereon,and means for connecting said sections together. y

23. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each beingprovided with means for the attachment of lifting mechanism and withmeans for connecting thereto a dumping hook or rod, and means forconnecting said sections together.

24. A boat or barge comprising a plurality of sections each providedwith sockets for having swiveled thereto a lifting mechanism.

and with an attachment for connectin thereto a dumping rod or hook, andmeans orl connecting said sections together. Y

25. A barge or ,boat com rising a series of sections open at the topand)of several differenti sizes whereby they may be nested in groups,and means arranged for easy disconnection and serving together.

26. A barge orboat comprising a series of sections each being a unit asto stability and flot-ation and being o en at the top, said sectionsbeing of severa different sizeswhereby they may be nested in groups, andmeans arranged to permit ofeasy disconnection and Y serving to connectsaid sections together.

27. A barge or boat comprising a series of interchangeable sections openat the top and of several different sizes whereby they may be nested ingroups, said sections being provided With openings in their top' edges,and detachable connecting means passing through said openings.

28. A barge or boat com rising aseries of sections open at the top an(of several different sizes whereby they may be nested in IOO to connectsaid sections IIS groups, and ravided at their top edges with a seriesof s ots laid out on' the Vernier or other scale, and detachableconnecting means sections open at the top and of several different sizeswhereby they may be nested in groups, metallic gunwales connected to.the top edges of said sections, and connecting means attached to saidgunwales.

30. A barge or boat comprising a series of metallic sections open at thetop and of several dilferent sizes whereby they may be nested in groups,metallic iianged gunwales on said sections, and connecting meansattached to said gunwales.

31. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of interchaii eable sectionsof several different sizes andg being open at their tops Whereby theymay be nested in groups, means for connecting said sections to eachother at their tops, and means for connecting the same together at theirbottoms.

32. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections open at the topand of several different sizes, coupling-hooks swiveled to some of saidsections and arranged to engage adj aoent sections, and operating meansconnected to each of said hooks.

33. A barge or boat comprising a lurality of sections, a coupling-hookmounte thereon and arranged to engage a stop on the adjacent section,and an operating-shaft connected to said coupling-hook and extending tothe top of the section.

34. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each providedwith n yiell, an operating-shaft in said well, and a couplinghook onsaid shaft and arranged to engage a rcooperating coupling member on theadjacent section,

85, A barge-section comprising metallic side, end an bottom plates,gunwales at.- tached to the upper edges thereof, cor-nerconnectingangles and strengthening mem- 5 metallic sections, metallicgunwales-attached bers attached to said plates, said gunwalesconnecting-angles and strengthening members being on the inside of saidsection, and means attached to the side platesand serving .for theattachment of lifting mechanism,

36. A barge or boat comprising a series of groups of sections each groupbeing composed of a plurality of sections of different sizes wherebythey may be nested when empty, and means for connecting said sectionstogether.

'37. A barge or boat comprising a series of groups of sections, eachgroup being composed of a plurality of sections open at the top and ofdifferent sizes, whereby they may be nested when empty1 and means for.connecting said sections together.

38. A'barg'e or boat comprising a series of groups of sections, eachgroup being composed of a'plurality of sections of metallic constructionopen on their tops and of digerent sizes, wherebythey may be nested whenempty, and means for connecting said seotions directly to each other.

Y 39, A bargev or boat comprising a plurality o f sections open at thetop and of different sizes, each of said sections being provided withsuitable means for the attachment of lifting means, and means forconnecting said sections together.-

40. A barge or boat comprising a plurality Cof sections each being openat' its top, means for connecting said sections together, and rigid sideextensions or spray-boards detachably secured to the outer edges of theedge sections.

41. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of sections each being a unitas'to stability and iiotation and being open on its top, means forconnecting said sections together, and rigid side extensions orspray-boards detachably secured to the outer edges of the edge sections.

42. A barge or boat comprising a series of metallic sections comprisingside, end and bottom plates, corner-connecting angleg 01.Erectinguniting said plates, Asaid corner-con angles projecting abovethe tops thereof, and spray-boards attached to said projecting mr g es.

43. A barge or boat comprising a plurality of metallic sections providedwith gunwales, means secured to said gunwales for connecting saidsections tQgether,- and metallic sprayboards connected 'water-tight tosaid gunwales and to each other, thereby to bring the connecting meansnearer thecenter of gravity of the sections.

44. A boat or' barge comprising a series of sections each comprising aunit as to stability and notation, means for connecting said sectionstogether, and lineattaching means detachably 'connected to the outersections of i said barge.

45.l A barge orV boat comprising a series of to said sections, means forconnecting said sections together, and line-attaching means detaohablysecured tothe gunwales of outer sections of said barge.

46. A barge or boat comprising a series of metallic sections, flangedbars forming the gunwales thereof and provided with holes, means forconnecting said sections together, line-attaching means, and bolts forattachina the same to the gunwales of said sections` 47. A barge or boatcomprising a series 0f metallic SQlODS having Side, end bottom plates,corner connecting angles.- foi- Said plates, saidcorner-connectingangles projecting above the top edges, oi saidsections, means for connectingsaid sections together, and a check-posthaving an opening and adapted to pass over the projecting angle at thecorners of the barge, and be attached to the gunwale thereof` 48. Abarge com rising a series of sections open at the top an of severaldifferent sizes whereby they may be nested in groups, some of saidsections being provided with a rake,

IOO

and ineens for connecting,r said sections tol ing means for saidsections operable through ro getlier. sald Wells.

49. A barge or boat comprising a plurality In testimony whereof I, thesaid MEIER G. of sections, wells in said sections, and conl HLLPERT,have hereunto set my hand.

nectinpr ineens for said sections operable l MFIFR G HILPERT througl'isaid wells. l J J 5U. A barge or boat. comprising a plurality IWitnesses: of metallic sections, wells 0n saidsections adl F. W. WINTER,jacent to the side or end walls, and connectl ROBERT C. TOTTEN.

